MADISON, Wis. — The City of Madison intends to close the homeless encampment at McPike Park by the end of the month.
In a phone interview with News 3 Now, the City of Madison’s Community Development Division Director Jim O’Keefe said McPike Park was never intended to be a designated homeless encampment. O’Keefe said Mayor Satya Rhodes Conway issued an executive order for temporary permissible encampments on city-owned properties that met a certain number of criteria. Randall Park and the Starkweather Creek Conservancy Area met the criteria. McPike Park is not on the list of approved places.
“The signage is just one stop of a multipronged effort that has been our plan developed over the course of the last month,” O’Keefe said. “It’s recognizing the McPike park encampment was never an authorized encampment and we’re responding to increasing concerns about the safety and viability of those who are using it and surrounding neighbors.”
O’Keefe said the City has received mixed reaction to the homeless encampment. He said many residents who live nearby complain about activities that happen there including fires burning, drug activity and other safety concerns. He also said some residents come out to help the homeless.
“There’s been a fair amount of support as well and that has translated, in many cases, from people delivering food and clothing to firewood,” O’Keefe said. “Across the board, though, people have expressed concern of people camping in that location.”
O’Keefe said the Madison Police Department, Madison Fire Department and City Streets staff have been working with homeless outreach teams to re-shelter any homeless residents currently staying at McPike Park.
“Some are in the tiny home village, the occupy village, area hotels, some friends and family take them in and some are staying in the expanded shelter facilities,” O’Keefe said.
At its peak in the fall of 2020, O’Keefe said there were around 40 homeless campers staying at McPike Park, but in recent weeks due to the cold weather, there were fewer than six who stayed. O’Keefe said earlier this week, he was advised that everyone at McPike Park found other temporary housing arrangements but believes that those people could return as soon as next week.
“One of the reasons we chose the time we did to bring encampment to a close is because we would be disrupting the least number of people,” O’Keefe said.
Those who still have belongings at McPike Park are being asked to move them elsewhere before the end of the month. O’Keefe said any items not removed in time will be placed in temporary storage for 45 days.
“The plan is not to be an enforcement action,” O’Keefe said. “Its not meant to move people from one outdoor location to another. We wanted to take advantage of an opportunity when there are few people using the location so there would be few people disrupted. We wanted to provide ample warning to work with outreach staff and find other accommodations. It’s gone pretty much as we hoped it would.”
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